The Importance of Keywords
Posted by Jennifer Scott
The Importance of Keywords, and their use on a Resume and Online Profiles
Fact: More than 80% of resumes are automatically searched for job-specific keywords before they ever get to a human eye. Recruiters select keywords and use them to pull resumes out from an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or other resume database.
Fact: Keyword logic also applies when recruiters search online profiles like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter!
Tip: Use keywords in a section early in the resume. Use a Professional Profile, or Summary of Qualifications, not just a list of key words. Take advantage of the Summary or “About Me” section of profile pages.
Tip: Use keywords liberally throughout your resume and profile. Your accomplishments are a great place for job and industry-specific keywords.
Fact: Some applicant-search software not only looks for keywords, but even ranks them on a weighted basis according to relevance; the importance of the word to the job criteria.
Tip: Use the keywords you see in job ads and job descriptions in your tailored / targeted resume.
Note: Generally, the more specific a keyword is to a particular job or industry, the more heavily it will be counted. Skills that apply to many jobs and industries tend to count less.
Tip: Use specific keywords more than once (when applicable), especially if they are used more than once in the job ad / job description.
Caution: Take care not to overload, or “stuff” – you still want your resume to make sense and your profiles to be attractive to the human eye, not boring or scattered.
Fact: You don't know (and can’t know) the exact form of a keyword that the recruiter / hiring manager will use as a search criterion
Tip: Use various forms of your keywords, synonyms, and both the spelled-out and acronym versions of common terms.
· "strategic" and “strategy”
· “sales” and “business development”
· “CRM” and “Customer Relationship Management”
· “BPO” and “Business Process Outsourcing”
Tip: Remember that humans can make certain assumptions that computers can't. Ex. "cold-calling" means “sales” to a human, but unless "cold-calling" is being used as a specific search criterion, search software seeking "sales" experience may not find your resume…
Tip: Be specific, and spell out your skills, your strengths and your RESULTS! Your results are what set you apart.
Prepared by Jennifer M. Scott
Talent Acquisition Strategist & Social Media Networking Enthusiast
Principal – HireEffect, LLC
Career Coach – Hire Aspirations
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LinkReferral
49 minute audio regarding keywords
Hi again,
I was recently recorded giving a presentation on the importance of keywords on resumes and online profiles. If you're interested in listening, here is the link: http://jobradio.fm/2009/06/09/expo-09-adding-keywords-to-your-resume/
Jennifer Scott - www.hireeffect.com